3 reasons why SF 49ers won’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021

No. 2: Garoppolo’s contract can work with and against him.

The SF 49ers felt confident in the former New England Patriots quarterback and signed Garoppolo to a five-year deal. In 2021, he’s expected to make $26.9 million.

As you may have heard, if Lynch decides to cut his starting quarterback the team will save upwards of $24 million. Which is a lot of change to throw at pending free agents like Trent Williams, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and they can toss money into the free-agent pool to grab some much-needed reinforcements.

So releasing him is technically the easiest road. But the SF 49ers don’t take the easy road. The next thing they could do is trade the 29-year-old.

But who would want his hefty contract? Niner Noise’s Peter Panacy takes a look at where Garoppolo could end up in a trade.

Keep in mind, Garoppolo has a no-trade clause.

The final thing both parties can do is meet in the middle and restructure the contract. It hasn’t happened yet and it’s hard to say if it will. But if Garoppolo thinks this core group of players can make another push for a Super Bowl and he knows he’ll be healthy in 2021, he could take less money to keep the band together.

Sports Illustrated’s Jose Luis Sanchez makes his case for why they keep Garoppolo for 2021.

It might not be a popular move, but keeping Jimmy Garoppolo is the best move for now.